Seafood that generates its own tropical heat

It may not be on a palm-shaded, sea-breeze-cooled Mexican beach, but Taqueria Vista Hermosa, in the back of the colorful Mercado La Paloma at the south end of downtown L.A., is not without its charms. The Mercado is a lively place, and you sit at colorful Mexican tiled tables surrounded by displays of Latino art and shops selling crafts and clothing.

Vista Hermosa has always been one of my favorite taquerias, a place I’ve come to often since it opened in 2001 for its many excellent specialties including wonderful huaraches and the best carne al pastor I’ve tasted anywhere.

But it’s the seafood -- introduced during the last Lenten season -- that brings me back now. To get mariscos (Mexican seafood) this good, you’d probably have to head south to Ensenada or Mazatlan.

Vista Hermosa takes its name from the hometown in Michoacan of owner Raul Morales and his family. On its regular menu, the tiny taqueria -- just a stand, really -- offers not only tacos and tortas but also complex regional specialties such as pollo a la Michoacana, birria (stewed goat) and lengua (tongue) in green sauce.

Morales serves handmade tortillas; takes great care in the preparation of marinades, sauces and seasonings; and insists on quality ingredients.

On the seafood menu, there are shrimp and fish dishes prepared in the style of Michoacan, and, thanks to one of the cooks, dishes in the style of Mazatlan.

The shrimp soup, caldo de camaron, is a big bowl of intensely shrimp-flavored broth loaded with potatoes, chayote, Mexican and Italian zucchini, tomatoes, onion and shrimp.

Chiles de arbol contribute plenty of heat, but the stand provides its own fiery orange salsa to add even more zing, along with chopped onion and cilantro and fresh lime wedges.

The ceviche tostada is top-notch, like a handmade one I had in Ensenada. Squeaky-fresh fish is marinated with lime juice, orange juice, chiles and celery, then combined with tomato, onion and cilantro, set on a crisp tortilla and finished off with buttery avocado slices.

It takes a husky goblet to hold the shrimp cocktail, which is fresh and light, not one of those old-fashioned American shrimp cocktails drenched with red cocktail sauce. Instead it’s sauce with an aromatic Mazatlan-style broth of shrimp and vegetables combined with onion, cilantro, tomato, shrimp and avocado. The shrimp are lightly cooked, still succulent and fresh-tasting.

The taqueria’s fish taco is modest compared with those at the Ensenada fish market, where restaurants set out lots of salsas and garnishes. Still, it’s good -- golden brown chunks of fried mild white fish placed, still warm, on small freshly-made tortillas and topped with lettuce, tomato, long shreds of mozzarella and a trickle of sour cream.

Mojo de ajo is a classic Mexican garlic sauce for fish or shrimp. Vista Hermosa’s version is really a three-step garlic hit. After some time in a garlic marinade, the seafood is given a quick turn on the grill with garlic and butter and then finished with a scattering of crunchy fried garlic bits. It’s the best mojo de ajo I’ve ever had and really good with fish, which is delicate enough to show off the robust flavor.

Mojarra frita a la Mexicana is a small whole fish -- tilapia -- that is fried, then finished on the grill with a dash of lime juice and butter. Glistening and deeply browned, the fish is tender and moist inside. A la Mexicana means the fish is topped with grilled green pepper strips and onion and tomato slices to signify the red, white and green of the Mexican flag.

Plates come with big helpings of rice, French fries and a side of toasted telera roll, a large soft roll with a couple of slashes across the top. That added up to way too much food for me, but I watched as the young, husky guys at the next table cleaned their plates.

The plain crisp side salad that’s also on the plate is a happy contrast to the spicy camarones a la diabla -- deviled shrimp in a sauce taken to an extreme heat level by chiles de arbol. The sauce has flavor, not just fire, thanks to orange juice, garlic, butter and herbs. Camarones rancheros, in a fresh, light tomato sauce, is pleasantly mild.

A cold Mexican beer would be great with this food, but the only options at the taqueria are horchata, jamaica, Mexican sodas and other soft drinks. A quick dip in the ocean after lunch would be great too. Too bad that palm-shaded tropical beach is so far away.

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Taqueria Vista Hermosa

Location: 3655 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 741-1251

Price: Fish and shrimp dishes, $7.99; shrimp cocktail, $7.50; ceviche tostada, $2.50; fish taco, $1.50.

Best dishes: Ceviche tostada, shrimp cocktail, caldo de camaron (shrimp soup), fish al mojo de ajo, mojarra frita (fried whole fish)

Details: Open from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily, and until 9 p.m. Friday. Street and lot parking. Major credit cards for purchases $10 and up.